The World Is Not Doomed
Since the pre-industrial age, global temperature has risen by 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.1 Fahrenheit). Currently, that means that hot places are getting hotter, wet places are getting wetter, and there are more extreme weather events happening such as hurricanes, blizzards, and floods. When the global average temperature rises to 2 degrees celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) all of the aforementioned effects will become even more extreme and some ecosystems will die as a result. When the temperature rises to 3 degrees celsius (5.4 Fahrenheit), parts of the world will be unable to provide enough food for their populations, entire natural systems will break down and there will be immense heat waves and drought. When the global average temperature rises to 4+ degrees Celsius, the Earth will become unable to support large human populations.
Luckily, it’s unlikely we’ll become a 4+ degree world. Scientists believe we have avoided apocalyptic climate change. If current climate policies were to plateau, we would reach 3 degrees in the year 2100. The world is not doomed. Climate change is a fixable problem, we can’t get complacent and we can’t accept defeat.
In the last decade, coal burning has declined or leveled off in countries like China and India, and dramatically decreased in the United States and the UK. 44 countries have committed to stop building coal plants including Canada, Germany, and Chile. Since 2015, 75% of all planned coal plants have been canceled. Coal is the largest contributor to global warming, accounting for 30% of all energy-related carbon emissions, making this a huge step in the right direction. Wind energy is also 3x cheaper than it was in 2010, and solar energy is 10x cheaper, making both of them more affordable options than fossil fuels. Today, there is 25x more solar and wind energy produced than in 2010 and that number will only continue to increase as the technology gets better and we ease our reliance on coal and fossil fuels.
Every industry is improving technology to reduce its emissions and carbon footprint. LED bulbs being used are 10x more energy efficient. Electric heating is being used more and insulation technology has gotten better. Electric cars are being adopted more for shipping and in Norway 8/10 cars are electric. Carbon capture technology is still in its infancy and currently costs $600 to remove 1 ton of CO2 from the atmosphere, and that cost will decrease as the technology improves and grows in scale.
Since 2000, the EU has reduced emissions by 21% without a major recession. Italy lowered emissions by 28%, the UK by 35%, and Denmark by 43%. Emissions are also no longer seen as needed for economic growth. From 2009 to 2019, the Czech Republic dropped emissions by 23% and raised GDP by 27%. France lowered emissions by 14% and increased GDP by 15%, Romania decreased emissions by 8% and increased GDP by 35%, and even America lowered emissions by 4% and increased GDP by 26%.
Energybox is doing its part to help industries become more energy-efficient too. Energybox offers technology that can help reduce energy consumption, food waste and increase equipment lifespan. Last year we helped reduce 8,490 tons of CO2 emissions for all our customers combined.
The fossil fuel industry has weaponized hopelessness. They pour egregious amounts of money into anti-climate change propaganda, hoping to fill their pockets with more money while they kill the planet. They are the only ones who gain from your hopelessness. Feeling hopeless is equivalent to giving up. We can mitigate most of the worst effects of climate change. Current predictions have us living in a 3-degree world in 2100. It’s up to us to prove those predictions wrong.
Sources:
Buis, A. (2019): A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter, NASA’s Global Climate Change Website
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2865/a-degree-of-concern-why-global-temperatures-matter/
CAT – Climate Action Tracker (2021): The CAT Thermometer – The CAT Thermometer explained
https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-thermometer/
Climate Watch (2022): Data Explorer
Duke, Jenni. “4 Ways Technology Improvements Increase Sustainability.” SumnerOne, https://www.sumnerone.com/blog/4-ways-technology-improvements-increase-sustainability.
Kurzgesagt, – In a Nutshell. “We Will Fix Climate Change!” YouTube, 5 Apr. 2022, https://youtu.be/LxgMdjyw8uw.
“Mapped: How Climate Change Affects Extreme Weather around the World.” Carbon Brief, https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-how-climate-change-affects-extreme-weather-around-the-world/.
Schwartz, Mark. “Council Post: How Technology Can Provide a More Sustainable Future for the Industrial Sector.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 Apr. 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/08/31/how-technology-can-provide-a-more-sustainable-future-for-the-industrial-sector/?sh=bd6d0f750c19.
